Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)


Based on the analysis of the potential impacts contained in 

the attached environmental assessment and careful 

consideration of public comments, I have determined that 

Alternative B, the proposed fire/fuels management plan, 

will have no significant impact on the human environment. 

An environmental impact statement does not need to be 

prepared. 

Support for the FONSI: 

The following Critical Elements will not be significantly 

affected by applying management as analyzed for 

Alternative B: 

Air Quality: The anticipated activity associated with 

Alternative B will not exceed state or federal ambient air 

quality standards as a result of fire and fuels management 

and will not significantly contribute to cumulative air 

quality effects. If and when wildland fire is managed to 

achieve resource objectives in C and D category polygons, 

notification standards similar to those for prescribed fire 

will be followed. 

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern: ACECs and 

ACEC values will not be affected by fire and fuels related 

activities because ACEC status will be considered for fire 

management actions and in site-specific implementation 

assessments for hazardous fuels reduction projects. 

Cultural Resources: Archeological resources that are 

considered eligible for the National Register of Historic 

Places (NHRP) will either be avoided or, in consultation 

with State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), a plan for 

mitigating the effects of the proposed actions will be 

formulated and implemented. In addition, sites for fuels 

management activities will be examined for other cultural 

and paleontological resources before any activity occurs. 

Anticipated impacts from fuels management activities will 

be avoided or mitigated. The proposed fire management 

plan will provide fire management objectives and more 

guidance for wildland fire suppression and rehabilitation as 

well as guidance for fuels reduction actions to protect 

cultural resources. 

Environmental Justice: Alternative B will not cause 

disproportionately high or adverse effects on human health 

or environmental effects on low-income or minority 

populations, as provided under Environmental Justice 

considerations. 

Farmlands (Prime or Unique): Neither the proposed 

management associated with wildland fire suppression nor 

the proposed fuels management actions will contribute to 

the unnecessary and irreversible conversion of prime or 

unique farmland to nonagricultural uses. 

Floodplain: No developments or effects of developments 

associated with fire/fuels management BLM will occur in 

floodplain. 

Invasive Species: While some activities and land uses will 

introduce and/or spread noxious weeds, the management 

guidance and anticipated chemical weed treatments 

associated with hazardous fuels projects will mitigate or 

control the spread of invasive and non-native species. 

Native American Religious Concerns: Alternative B will 

not interfere with the inherent right of freedom to believe, 

express, and exercise traditional religions, including access 

to religious sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and 

freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional 

rites established in the American Indian Religious Freedom 

Act of 1978. 

Threatened or Endangered Species: Significant impacts 

are not anticipated from the proposed fire and fuels 

management (Alternative B) and related actions for species 

listed as endangered or threatened, and species proposed for 

listing. Nor will significant impacts occur to the species of 

birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish, and plants 

designated as BLM sensitive species. Anticipated impacts 

to threatened or endangered species were analyzed in a 

Biological Assessment. The Biological Opinion/Concurrence Opinion from the US Fish and Wildlife Service 

affirmed the following determinations made in the BA: 

•	 For Listed Species: Either No Effect or May Affect but 

is not likely to Adversely Affect for listed species 

•	 For Proposed Species: Not Likely to Jeopardize the 

Species 

•	 For Proposed Critical Habitat: Would not adversely 

modify proposed critical habitat 

The Biological Opinion concluded that Alternative B is not 

likely to jeopardize the continued existence of grizzly bears, 

Canada Lynx, bald eagles, gray wolves, bull trout, or the 

proposed critical habitat for bull trout. 

Wastes, Hazardous or Solid: It is not expected that future 

activities and effects associated with Alternative B will 

conflict with either CERCLA or RCRA. Compliance with 

environmental laws and regulations should not result in 

significant impacts associated with hazardous or solid 

wastes. 

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Water Quality, Drinking or Ground: Alternative B will 

not affect water quality in a way to exceed standards 

established under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. 

Activities anticipated with Alternative B will be regulated 

to control non-point sources of water pollution to comply 

with The Clean Water Act, as amended by the Water 

Quality Act of 1987 (including Total Maximum Daily Load 

Requirements). Fuels management activities would be 

conducted in a way to meet state water quality standards as 

specified in the Standards for Rangeland Health and 

Guidelines for Grazing Management. Although water 

quality impacts will result from the use of prescribed fire 

and mechanical treatments to reduce hazardous fuels, these 

impacts would be offset by reduced impacts from wildland 

fires. Also, a Pesticide Use Proposal will be submitted and 

approved before any chemical treatments occur on site. 

Wetlands/Riparian Zones: The impacts of severe 

wildland fire and future needs for emergency wildfire 

suppression will be reduced. The potentially greater risks 

associated with higher levels of fuels treatment will not 

reach significant levels because of the guidelines included 

in Alternative B. Actions associated with fire and fuels 

management related actions will be conducted to minimize 

the destruction, loss, or degradation of wetlands and 

riparian areas while preserving and enhancing their natural 

and beneficial values. Few wetland or riparian areas will be 

treated for fuels management. 

Wild and Scenic Rivers: The BLM currently manages land 

along one designated Wild and Scenic River. During 

scoping and subsequent analysis, no issues were identified 

concerning the relationship of fire and fuels management to 

the Upper Missouri Wild and Scenic River designation. 

Wilderness: Wilderness and Wilderness Study Area 

(WSA) policy requires that special consideration and 

restrictions will be applied in wildland fire suppression, 

rehabilitation, prescribed fire, and other hazardous fuel 

reduction efforts so as not to impair the characteristics for 

which they received designation. 

Significant impacts are not anticipated for the additional 

resources that were not discussed above as critical 

elements. Specifically: 

Fire and fuels management related activities associated with 

Alternative B will be applied to only about 2 percent of 

BLM-administered grasslands, 3 percent of BLMadministered shrublands, and 37 percent of BLMadministered forestlands. These activities will not cause a 

significant adverse impact to the ecological health of the 

vegetation. Generally, the vegetation communities that are 

treated will convert to an earlier successional stage, 

stimulating new growth. In the long term, total productivity 

will improve, especially in treated forestlands. At the same 

time, fire severity on treated areas will decrease, as will the 

risk of catastrophic stand replacement wildland fire. 

Associated impacts caused by wildland fire suppression 

activities will also decrease. 

Chemical weed treatments will be applied if other fuels 

treatments are expected to stimulate noxious weed growth 

or create new infestations. 

Use of chemical weed treatments will be consistent with 

label directions for chemical use, BLM Manual 9011, BLM 

Handbook H9011-1 Chemical Pest Control Guidance, the 

Riparian Protection Zone guidance (under Alternative B, 

See section 2.5.3.1), and guidelines outlined in Partners 

Against Weeds: An Action Plan for the Bureau of Land 

Management (1996) to avoid significant impacts. 

Increased soil loss, sedimentation, and turbidity in the water 

as the result of prescribed fire and other fuels treatments will 

be minimized by complying with existing environmental 

protection requirements, conservation and species protection 

requirements, agreements, strategies, standard operating 

procedures, manual and handbook guidance, and other 

protection measures including proposed additional guidance 

for fire and fuels management. There will also be less soil 

loss, sedimentation, and turbidity from wildland fire on 

areas that are treated than if there is a stand replacement fire 

because they are not treated. Impacts to soils and water 

quality will also be reduced because the area burned from 

wildland fire and the intensity and severity of these wild 

fires will be less. Treatments anticipated with Alternative B 

will help achieve land health standards (soil stability and 

watershed function) on more areas. 

Alternative B will involve the selective introduction of fire 

and fuels management to certain wildlife habitats. 

Application will be managed to avoid times and sites where 

prescribed fire and other treatments are not desired. These 

treatments will reduce the likelihood of adverse effects from 

wildland fire. The cumulative effects of the proposed action 

will have less impact to wildlife habitat and wildlife 

populations than the effects of the large, catastrophic, standreplacement wildfires that result in drastic changes in 

ecological condition from late seral climax vegetation to an 

early seral stage. 

Recreation and visual impacts of wildland fires will be 

reduced. The likelihood of protecting high quality 

recreation areas will also be enhanced. By reducing the 

long-term potential for stand-replacement wildland fire, the 

potential for severe impacts to visual resources and 

recreation opportunities will also be reduced. 

Alternative B will provide greater protection to human 

health and safety by broadening the range of allowable 

methods that can be used to reduce the potential for severe 

wildland fires on BLM lands near the wildland urban 

interface, including several communities and developments 

110

that have been identified by the BLM as priority areas. 

Applying the management analyzed with Alternative B will 

allow the BLM to reduce the potential for loss of life and 

property; reduce the risk and resource damage associated 

with wildland fire suppression; and reduce the negative 

health effects caused by the smoke from catastrophic 

wildland fires. Although Alternative B will result in the use 

of more prescribed burning, the timing and size of these 

fires will be controlled to operate within acceptable limits 

imposed by air quality standards. 

Alternative B is consistent with the preferences voiced by 

the public for active fire and fuels management. The effects 

will be preferable because fuels treatments will be 

mitigated, designed, or planned to minimize health and 

safety concerns, visual impacts, and other quality of life 

issues. 

Signed: 

Martin C. Ott


State Director for Montana/Dakotas


Bureau of Land Management


This analysis did not identify effects to the human 

environment that are considered highly controversial, 

highly uncertain or involve unique or unknown risks. 

The actions associated with the proposed fire and fuels 

management will not establish a precedent for future actions 

with significant effects or represent a discussion in principle 

about a future consideration. Nor will they violate federal, 

state, or local laws or requirements imposed for the 

protection of the environment. 

Based on the analysis of individual and cumulative 

management actions and anticipated activities, I have 

determined that Alternative B (the proposed action) does 

not constitute a significant environmental impact. 

7/14/03 

Date 

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